Outdoor activity
Vertebrate Publishing is an award-winning publisher of outdoor books and guides, from mountaineering narratives, to walking, cycling, mountain biking, running, climbing and wild swimming guides.
‘We also publish wildlife, nature and photography books and children’s adventures stories, all with the aim of inspiring people to get out and explore the great outdoors,’ said head of marketing Lorna Brogan.
Vertebrate work from an insider perspective. ‘We produce the kind of books that we’d want to read or use ourselves,’ said Lorna. ‘Based in Sheffield, on the doorstep of the Peak District, we’re blessed with access to world-class hillwalking, climbing and mountain biking and this provides the ongoing inspiration for our ever-expanding range of books. Some of our newest releases include Wild Waters, a beautifully illustrated companion to underwater life, Peak Bagging: Wainwrights, a guide to linking up these iconic Lake District fells in the most efficient way; and 1001 Running Tips, a light-hearted and informative guide to all types of running.’
Vertebrate started off as a small graphic design startup which gradually morphed into a team of graphic designers and then into a team of book producers.
‘We published our first book, Dark Peak Mountain Biking: True Grit Trails, in 2014 to critical acclaim and it’s since been reprinted, reissued as an all-new edition and continues to inspire riders visiting the Peak. Our range of mountain biking guidebooks now totals eighteen books, covering most of the UK along with a guide to the amazing riding in the Western Alps. In January 2009 we published our first narrative title, the autobiography of British rock climbing legend Jerry Moffatt, co-written with Irish writer Niall Grimes. Revelations has proven to be a great success and scooped the Grand Prize at the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival – one of the biggest prizes in publishing in the outdoor, adventure, and environment genres. Since then, we’ve published many other climbing narratives – several of which we’re proud to say have either won or been nominated for awards, including John Porter’s One Day as a Tiger which won the Grand Prize at Banff in 2014, Andy Kirkpatrick’s Cold Wars which won the 2012 Boardman Tasker Prize, and Simon McCartney’s epic book The Bond, which won the 2016 Mountain Literature award in Banff and the 2016 Boardman Tasker Prize – our first book to do a Banff/BT “double”.’
In early 2013 Vertebrate acquired Bâton Wicks from Ken Wilson, and have made many classic mountaineering books available in digital formats and, from late 2016, in print-on-demand formats as well. ‘We are continuing to acquire the publishing rights to out-of-print books and are committed to ensuring they are made available in years to come.’
At the moment Vertebrate publishes around thirty new titles a year. ‘In a nutshell, a good book for us is something that inspires adventure,’ sad Lorna. ‘It could be a guide to outdoor swimming in a particular area, with beautiful photos and well-researched information about the best spots and cafes, or it could be a compelling story about taking on a challenge and overcoming setbacks along the way. The common denominator is that the reader should pick it up and think “wow, this has inspired me to go outside and do something adventurous”, no matter how big or small.’
All submissions should have the potential to inspire readers to have their own outdoor adventures. ‘We’re looking for books which inspire and equip people to plan their own adventures, and unique and well-told stories about innovative, compelling adventures they’ve been on. The areas we publish into include climbing, cycling, walking, running, paddling, swimming and adventure travel. Or surprise us with the next big outdoors trend.’
Looking ahead, Vertebrate hopes to expand its selection of books about outdoor pursuits that are growing in popularity, such as stand-up paddleboarding, wild swimming and bikepacking.’
Prospective authors should be able to combine personal passion for their project with in-depth knowledge and commercial insight. ‘Look at our existing list and see if your idea would fit with what we do,’ said Lorna. ‘Think about existing books you particularly like and why you like them. What does a guide book have that others don’t? Why was the structure of that narrative book so compelling?’
Vertebrate publishes in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook.
Website: www.v-publishing.co.uk